Itm buildING guidE:

how to minimise
construction
waste
This guide provides builders, designers, estimators, project
managers, and subcontractors with simple, cost-effective
and practical ways to minimise construction waste. The
guide will help you and your construction team to answer
the following questions:
> Why minimise construction waste?
> What materials and quantities are contained in
construction waste?
> How can we minimise construction waste in simple,
cost effective and practical ways?
The information contained in this guide is relevant to
most construction projects but particularly for new
residential construction.
 New Residential
Construction Waste
by Weight

Other
19%
Hazardous 1%
Insulation 1% Plasterboard
Metals 3% 32%
Packaging 5%
Concrete
& Masonry
15% Wood based products
24%

New Residential
Construction Waste
by VOLUME

Plasterboard

Other
20%
30%
Packaging
18%
Concrete & Masonry
Wood based
3% products
Harazdous .1% 18%
Metals 4%

Insulation 7%

Data source: refer table notes (1)

Construction waste
know what you throw

Use the tables as a guide to waste

composition, but remember each job is
unique and only you can tell whether
materials are being used efficiently to
minimise waste.

Residential Construction Waste

(Example: 200sqm New Residential Construction)

Waste Type Approx Weight (kg) % Approx Volume (m3) %

Plasterboard 1040 32 5.3 20
Wood based products
(approx 25% untreated) 780 24 4.9 18
Concrete & Masonry 490 15 0.8 3
Packaging 165 5 4.9 18
Metals 100 3 1.0 4
Insulation 25 1 2.0 7
Hazardous 20 1 0.1 -
Other 620 19 8.0 30
Total 3240 100 27.0 100

Table notes (1):

1. Volume data based on skip volumes, including uncompacted air space.
2. Data source: Waste audit results from Beacon Pathways NOW Homes
2005 and 2006, US NAHB Residential Construction Waste Management –
A Builders Field Guide 1997 and builders feedback and waste audits from
the Target Sustainability Program, Christchurch, 2008.
 DID YOU KNOW…
The average residential construction project generates:
> 25-30m3 or 3000-3500kg or 2-3 standard
9m3 skips of waste.
> 16kg or 0.14m3 of waste per square metre of floor area.
Data source: refer table notes (1)

Waste DISPOSAL COSTS

Waste Type Skip Volume(m3) Approx Weight Limits (kg) Approx Cost*
General waste 2 300 $120-$200
General waste 3 450 $160-$230
General waste 4.5 675 $170-$250
General waste 6 1000 $220-$300
General waste 7.5 1250 $230-$330
General waste^ 9 1500 $270-$350
Hardfill/Cleanfill 2 2000 $150-$200
Hardfill/Cleanfill 3 3000 $190-$260

*Additional charges apply for exceeding weight limits

^ Common size for construction waste

Table notes (2):

1. Pricing and weight limits based on Akl/Wgn/ChCh and may vary from
region to region. As at February 2014.
2. Additional charges apply for exceeding weight limits and pickup dates.
3. Hardfill/Cleanfill material includes concrete, asphalt, masonry blocks, bricks
and natural materials such as clay, soil and rock. General waste excludes
hardfill/cleanfill & hazardous wastes.
Here’s how:
the 5R approach to minimise waste

BEST
1 Reduce
OPTION

2 Re-use

3 Recycle

4 Recover

5 ResIDual LAST
Disposal RESORT

Use the 5R waste hierarchy to prioritise your waste

minimisation options. In order of priority, waste reduction
(or prevention) is always the best option, followed by re-use
then recycling & recovery and as a last resort residual
disposal to a cleanfill or landfill site.

DID YOU KNOW…

• ‘Re-use’ means to make use of again without any
processing i.e. to use in its original state.
• ‘Recycling’ diverts waste materials from disposal
to produce products with potential economic or
ecological benefits.
• ‘Recovery’ is a wider term that includes the re-use
of waste products as a fuel source.
1 Reduce
Assign a waste management champion
– Assign a senior staff member with an interest in
waste minimisation to take responsibility for the
project waste management plan (a waste management
plan template can be found on the ITM website
www.itm.co.nz/sustainability)

Set realistic waste reduction targets

Let your team come up with some ideas and set ‘easy to
understand’ waste targets such as a reduced number of skips
or cubic metres of waste per job or square metres of floor area.

Reward your team

Have incentives for your team if your waste reduction targets
are met such as morning tea shouts.

Inform your team

Distribute this guide to your construction team. Make
waste information and progress towards waste reduction targets
readily available and part of your waste management plan.

Design considerations
Encourage designers and customers to use standard product
dimensions (e.g. 600 or 1200mm increments, standard door
and window sizes) and prefabricated products wherever possible
to reduce onsite handling, reworking and offcuts.

Material estimates
Provide detailed plans and instructions so estimators and
contractors can provide accurate material takeoffs. If you notice an
excess of waste materials for a particular product then reduce the
wastage allowance for material estimates.

Incentivise subcontractors
Add contractual terms to incentivise subcontractors to minimise
waste such as; making them responsible for the disposal of any
waste, or preferential consideration if they follow your waste
management plan.

Prevent unauthorised public dumping

This can represent up to 30% of waste removed from
building sites. Avoid skips on site until absolutely necessary
and keep them away from public view or access. Use a recycling
site sign which prominently displays ‘This Builder Recycles.
NO UNAUTHORISED DUMPING’.
Here’s how:
the 5R approach to minimise waste

2 Re-USE
Return for credit
- Ask your supplier whether pallets
and unused products in good condition
can be returned for credit.

Builders re-use
Several waste materials can be readily re-used: larger lengths
of timber, large pieces of flooring, cladding, building wrap,
polythene, slightly damaged finished products such as
mouldings, cabinets and doors and leftover paints. Individually
these materials don’t fill skips but collectively they can send
your total waste from one or two skips per job to two or three.

Re-use by homeowners and others

Valuable or useful excess materials such as leftover paint,
floor coverings, fixtures and fittings can be neatly stored for
the homeowner’s future use. Alternatively, try selling excess
re-usable product on Trademe or exchanging materials on the
Freecycle website (www.nz.freecycle.org) or Waste Exchange
(www.nothrow.co.nz), giving it away to others, offering
‘FREE’ kerbside collection or donating them to non-profit
organisations, such as Habitat ReStores as a tax-deductible
charitable donation.

DID YOU KNOW…

Some skip companies will take your mixed waste skip
from your building site and sort out the recyclable
materials offsite at Material Recovery Facilities (MRF’s).
This can save you considerable time, cost and space on
site sorting recyclables. Mixed waste recyclables can
include untreated timber, plasterboard, metals, cardboard
& plastic packaging (check with your skip bin provider).
3 ReCYCLE
Most residential construction waste is recyclable
including untreated timber, plasterboard, cardboard,
metal, polystyrene and some plastics, some carpets and
paint so check your options with your waste company,
recycling facilities, suppliers and contractors.

Questions to ask your skip company:

> Can they sort and recycle your mixed waste skip offsite?
– if not, it may be time to review your skip company.
> What specific materials can they recycle?
> How much of your overall skip waste can they recycle?

Preferred waste operators

Keep a list of preferred skip companies, and waste recycling
depots on hand for your team to use and make them part of
your waste management plan.

Onsite sorting and re-use of materials

High sided skips can encourage “out-of-sight, out-of-mind”
wasteful practices. An alternative is to fence off a waste storage
area with rolled wire or plastic mesh to encourage sorting and
re-use of materials and to avoid a skip on site until absolutely
necessary. Suggested re-use and/or recycling piles in the order
they normally occur are: steel, concrete & masonry, timber
products, plastics/ building wrap, insulation, plasterboard, paint
tins and cardboard. Sorting onsite will produce a significantly
higher rate of recycling than offsite sorting of commingled
waste skips.

Lunch waste
Provide a dedicated rubbish bin or bag for workers lunch
wrappers, food scraps etc to avoid skip contamination and a
recycling bin for bottles, cans, newspapers, magazines etc.

Disposal tip
Compacting, consolidating, sorting and flat stacking your
plasterboard, timber, metals, insulation, cardboard and
plastic packaging waste can save considerable volume in your
waste skips.
Here’s how:
waste minimisation by product

Plasterboard
About 30 percent of residential construction waste,
five kilograms per m2 of floor area or five m3 per tonne.

Offsite recycling
Plasterboard is essentially gypsum and paper and after it is
ground it is commonly applied as a soil conditioner. Gypsum, the
main ingredient improves soil condition (reduces compaction
and improves water drainage, retention and conservation) while
supplying essential nutrients (calcium and sulphur). Gypsum is a
natural, non-toxic mineral and is not harmful to children or pets
and even when applied at very high levels it will not damage soil
or plants. Plasterboard is best recycled when dry so try to cover or
store in a sheltered place such as the garage until collection.

Onsite recycling
For onsite disposal use clean unpainted standard plasterboard only
(excluding wet area board and bracing board which may contain
wax or fibreglass additives). Pulverize to pieces smaller than 2cm
diameter and place below topsoil to accelerate breakdown of the
product. Spread evenly and apply at a rate of up to 5kg per square
metre (standard sheet is approx 20kg). Avoid wet areas as prolonged
anaerobic conditions can cause possible sulfide gas formation.
Check compliance with your local territorial authority beforehand.
Information courtesy of www.gypsum.org.

Waste deferral
It can be cost effective to store clean offcuts within internal wall
spaces, providing the opportunity to recycle them at the end of the
homes’ useful life. Offcuts should be cut down or scored and folded
‘concertina’ style up to four sheets max to allow for future wiring.
Care must be taken to select wall cavities without insulation,
wiring, plumbing or HVAC ducts such as wardrobes, hot water
cupboards, stairwells or garages. Place pieces securely to avoid
rattling and consider the sequence of lining rooms to ensure vacant
walls are available as each room is completed.

Metals
Steel, copper, aluminium and most other metals
are valuable and readily recycled.

Recycle
If metal quantities are sufficient you should sort on site and sell
them to a local metal recycler. Otherwise, many skip companies will
collect your mixed waste skip and sort any metal offsite for recycling.
WOOD BASED PRODUCTS
About 25 percent of residential construction waste
or four kilograms per m2 of floor area or six m3 per tonne.

Reduce
Reduce timber offcuts by using efficient pre-fabricated
wall framing and roof trusses. They are often numbered and
packed sequentially to minimise resulting damage from
unnecessary onsite handling.

Re-use
Formwork, timber scaffolding, bracing, pegs and larger lengths of
timber etc can be re-used on your next project. Untreated timber
offcuts can be donated to local school woodworking classes or left
at the kerbside for free firewood. Pallets should be returned to your
suppliers (a credit may apply).

Recycling untreated timber

(approx. 25% of timber waste)
Specify untreated timber in all applications where this is allowed
to encourage future recycling. Because timber waste is usually a
mixture of treated and untreated timber it is often difficult to sort
and recycle small quantities. If untreated timber can be successfully
sorted by you or your skip company, recyclers will often chip for
use as mulch, compost, landscaping, animal bedding, landfill
cover, potential re-use in building products or as a fuel source for
industrial burners and domestic wood pellets.

Recycling treated or engineered timber

(approx. 75% of timber waste
There are very limited markets for recycling treated or engineered
timber (ply, particleboard, strandboard, MDF, laminated beams etc).
Your best options are to reduce and re-use as much as possible and
to keep in contact with your local skip companies and recyclers as
further research on recycling and recovery markets develop. Never
burn treated timber or sawdust.
Here’s how:
waste minimisation by product

Packaging
Cardboard, paper, plastic & polystyrene – About 18%
of total waste volume is packaging and if unconsolidated,
can send your job-site skip to the landfill long before necessary.

Reduce
Ask your suppliers to limit packaging. Specify no frame & truss
wrapping to avoid unnecessary packaging waste (but only if
weatherproofing is not required). Some appliance suppliers will
help unpack products and take away plastic, polystyrene and
cardboard packaging. By consolidating waste your supplier can
collect more economical volumes for recycling purposes.

Recycle
If domestic recycling operates in the area, you can put out stacked
cardboard on the kerbside ready for collection or drop off at local
recycling depots.

Insulation
About 7% of total waste volume.

Reduce
Excess insulation should be carefully placed in the ceiling space,
especially at perimeters or any vacant wall cavities or gaps. Larger
polystyrene sheets can be used under concrete floors and driveways
or as a protective lining behind retaining walls or underground walls.

Concrete & Masonry

About 15% of total weight and if unchecked can quickly exceed
skip weight limits. A cubic metre of solid concrete equals 2400kg!

Re-use
Most concrete, masonry and brick waste is inert fill and can be
used on site for landscaping, backfill, under walkways or driveways.
Because of its weight re-using on site can be far more effective
than additional handling, excess weight and disposal costs.

Recycle
If quantities allow, your skip company can supply a specific hardfill
skip. Recyclers will separate and crush any concrete & masonry
waste offsite for re-use as aggregates and also separate and recycle
any steel reinforcing bar and mesh.
Hazardous materials
Minimal weight and volume but potentially very damaging so
dispose of them responsibly to protect the public’s health, the
environment, and yourself from any liability.

Re-use
Leftover paints, stains, solvents, adhesives, sealants etc should be
re-used where possible.

Recycle
Paint & stain can usually be recycled so contact your supplier or
contractor for options or try Resene’s paintwise recycling program
visit www.resene.co.nz/paintwise.htm for a local collection point.

Correct disposal
Toxic runoff and hazardous substances must never enter waterways
or stormwater drains. Hazardous substances such as adhesives,
sealers, paints, paint stripper, stains, timber treatments, cement
and solvents must be contained carefully and disposed of correctly.
To minimise hazardous wastes use low volatile organic compound
(low VOC) paints and zero VOC, solvent and odour free adhesives
and sealants. For hazardous waste disposal options contact your
territorial authority, supplier or contractor, skip company, local
landfill or Material Recovery Facility. Add them to your waste
management plan.
Here’s WHY:
5 GOOD REASONS TO MINIMISE
CONSTRUCTION WASTE

1 Cost - A residential construction project typically spends

$500-$1000 for waste disposal services. However, the true
cost of construction waste includes material cost, additional
onsite storage and handling (allow 2.5 hours extra per tonne
of waste), transport & landfill costs, lost salvage value and the
environmental effects.

2 Efficiency - Knowing what materials end up in your skip can

tell you a lot about the accuracy of your material estimates and
how efficiently your designers, workers and subcontractors are
using materials. Every $100 saved is bottom line profit – that
equals a $1000 of sales at a 10% profit margin!

3 Liability - As a large generator of waste, some potentially

hazardous, it is important that you manage your waste
responsibly to minimise risk and potential liability.

4 Conservation – A significant amount of building waste is

recyclable. By looking at your waste as potential resources you
can play an important part in conserving natural resources and
landfill space.

5 Marketing - Let the buying public know you are minimising

waste to protect our environment. Provide them with a flyer
explaining your company’s waste management plan and the
total landfill space per year your company saves. Display a
prominent sign on your site or skip bin displaying your company
logo, a recycling symbol and stating ‘This Builder Recycles’.

DID YOU KNOW…

> Construction & demolition waste represents up to
50% of all waste generated in NZ.1
> Plasterboard, wood based products, concrete &
masonry, and packaging comprise about 75% of
residential building waste by weight.

1. Data source: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/waste/

construction-demo/index.html
2. Data source: Refer table notes (1).
Innovative
new ideas

On-site grinding
It is possible to grind up plasterboard and untreated timber
waste and apply it to the site before covering with topsoil
- you’ll need to check with the local territorial authority to
determine the acceptability of this method. If all untreated
timber waste and plasterboard could be handled this way,
storage, transport, and landfill costs would be eliminated
for approximately 40% of your building waste.

Commingled recycling bins

Some waste bin companies have lockable bins for
commingled recyclable packaging waste including plastics
& polystyrene (including polythene film and synthetic
builders wrap), cardboard and paper.
 ADDITIONAL references
Additional waste minimisation resources, including a waste
management plan template, can be found on the ITM website
www.itm.co.nz/sustainability or visit the REBRI website:
www.rebri.org.nz

DISCLAIMER
This document contains a range of information, data, advice and
recommendations, which are intended as a guide only.
Whilst the information in this document has been prepared with due care
we do not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility
for the accuracy, currency, completeness, or usefulness of any information,
product or process disclosed.
This document is not a substitute for independent professional advice and
users should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their
circumstances. Please contact your waste disposal company, suppliers,
product manufacturers and local territorial authority for further advice.

Produced in association with BRANZ and WasteMINZ

www.branz.co.nz www.wasteminz.org.nz

Copyright© ITM Co-operative Limited. September, 2014.